Bits of the Past
by love4writing
Summary: This is several of the backstories that go with Lost and Found, another story I wrote. These are the stories in my head that led me to write Lost and Found and several of these stories are alluded to in the original. You don't have to read the original to be able to read these though. They're short and I only have one OC, the rest of the characters are from the books.
1. Brother and Sister

The wind blew across the landscape and the boy was standing completely still with his eyes closed. His black hair blew across his face and he took a deep breath. He looked as though he were listening for something.

"Aha!" He took off at a run for a small group of trees and then flew upwards, his black wings stretching out behind him.

"Gotcha!"

The girl sitting in the tree frowned. "No fair Rhys! I felt you looking in my head."

"Then get a better shield," he said haughtily.

She stuck her tongue out at him before jumping off the branch she had perched on, letting her wings glide her to the ground. Her brother followed her down.

If he hadn't been taller than her, they'd have been mistaken for twins. The only difference between them besides their height were their eyes, hers a bright green while his were a deep violet color.

"Come on, we're going to be late for dinner and you know how Father is," said Rhys lightly.

The two began to walk back towards a cabin that sat alone on the side of the mountain. The sun had started setting and cast long shadows onto the ground. Rhys stopped as he watched a shadow loom in front of him. He stepped sideways to protect his sister before he heard her giggle.

"Myrrh! Knock it off!"

"What's wrong Rhys? Are you scared of the shadows?" she teased him.

He punched her in the arm.

"Ow," she muttered. She punched him back.

"Didn't hurt," he taunted her.

She ignored him and went back to playing with the shadow in front of her. She was good with the shadows, bending them to her will, letting them slide along the ground to her feet and wrapping it upwards until she nearly vanished in it.

"Are you sure you're a daemati?" Rhys asked his sister.

She shrugged. "I don't like playing with people's heads. I don't like what people are thinking most of the time. The shadows are more interesting."

"Huh. Maybe you're a shadowsinger," he said thoughtfully.

"Doesn't matter to me anyway," she said sadly.

"You know you can't go. Girls aren't allowed."

"That's a dumb rule. I can fly as well as you can and I'm just as strong as you."

He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Close enough," she muttered.

"You know Father wouldn't let you even if you could go."

She frowned.

"And remember what Mother said," Rhys continued. "Girls are powerful in their own way."

She stuck her tongue out at him again before turning away from him to look at the sunset.

He slipped inside her head, letting comfort flood into her head. He really would miss having her around. She was the only person who really understood him.

"I'm going to be all by myself, Rhys. What am I going to do?"

He pulled her into his arms and sighed.

"You'll have to make some more friends," he told her simply.

"Nobody else understands though."

"I know," he sighed and hugged her tighter.

"Rhysand! Myrrh! Come inside!"

Their mother's voice called to them from the cabin. He let his sister go, laughing as he realized that she had wrapped them both in shadows. She let the shadows go and watched as they floated back to where they belonged, outside of her control again.

They walked to the cabin together and their mother met them with a hug.

"There you are. Come on, it's time to eat," she said cheerfully.

The siblings sat down on the bench in front of the table and looked over the meal hungrily. Both of them glanced over at their father, quietly assessing his mood. He looked unhappy. Without a word, their mother handed them plates of food and they began to eat. The room was silent and nobody wanted to speak.

"When does the boy leave?" The gruff voice of their father broke the silence.

"In two weeks," their mother's reply was quiet.

"And how long do you intend to stay?" he asked briskly.

"I'm not sure. It depends how long I need to stay."

The tone of their mother's voice told them that this conversation had happened before. They exchanged a careful glance, wondering where this was going.

"Three weeks," came their father's gruff reply.

"It may take me longer," began their mother but she was cut off abruptly.

"I SAID THREE," and the two jumped as their father roared at their mother.

Their mother glared at their father. It could never be said that she didn't stand up to him. Their relationship was like fire and ice though, light and darkness, where their parents fought angrily and rarely seemed to agree on anything. But they were also mates and bonded to one another. What may have once been a loving relationship had seen its trials through the years and now there was little love. The two were too different. But they were still mates and drawn to one another through what the siblings thought was a sick twist of fate.

Rhys glanced at his mother and she nodded, telling him to go outside. Clearly this conversation wasn't done and Rhys wanted his sister out of the cabin for it.

"Come on Myrrh," he whispered.

She slipped off the bench and followed her brother outside, the two siblings wandering away from the cabin.

"How did they ever manage to have us?" wondered Myrrh aloud.

"Cauldron know," replied Rhys.

Rhys had often wondered how his parents had managed to have two children so close in age and then have that relationship vanish. He also often wondered if he and Myrrh weren't part of that reason.

He stopped as his sister sat down on the ground and seemingly plucked a shadow off the ground to play with. He smiled at her and then let his gaze drift upwards to the stars.

"Someday, we're going to live in a beautiful place," he whispered to the stars. "No fighting, no anger."

Myrrh glanced up at her brother and smiled.

"And if I ever meet a shadowsinger, I'll let you know if that's what you are."

She giggled at him. "Sure Rhys. If you ever meet one, let me know."

"Hey! You never know. I'll be powerful and in control of a great army some day and I'll meet all kinds of people. I'm sure I'll meet one somewhere along the way."

"Right. Like you're going to meet another daemati."  
"Well, ok, hopefully not but shadowsingers aren't as rare."

He sat down next to his sister and put an arm around her and rumpled her hair.

"Hey!" she said, brushing his hand away.

"You know I'll always be here for you right? No matter how far away I have to go. I'll always protect you." He pulled her close to him for a moment before letting go.

She smiled at him. "I know."


	2. Myrrh and Lucien

This meeting was boring Myrrh out of her mind. The men in the room were going on and on and there were no girls in the Autumn Court so she was stuck sitting there. She let her head fall onto the table.

"Myrrh," her father's voice snarled, "go outside. Now."

"Yes sir," she said quietly.  
She got up from the table and wandered out the door of the library. It had been three years since Rhys had been gone and she hated being in the big, empty house alone. Her mother was gone a lot too, spending more time at the camp with Rhys than here because at least here there were servants to take care of Myrrh. A tug on her braid brought her out of her daydream. She spun around, coming face to face with a boy who looked about her age. He had red hair and dark skin and he looked friendly but if he was from Autumn Court, Myrrh was wary.

"Hi," he said. "You look like you could use someone to talk to."

"I just miss my brother," she told him.

"Rhysand? Why?"

"Because he's my brother," she said. "We used to spend a lot of time together."

"Oh. My brothers aren't the polite type. I'd be happy if they were sent off, actually."

Myrrh giggled. "Is that likely?"

"No," answered the boy sadly. "I'm Lucien, by the way."

"My name's Myrrh."

"So, wings, huh?" he asked her. He made a move to poke the one closest to him and Myrrh pulled it back out of his reach.

"I'll assume you've never met an Illyrian before," she snarled at him.

He took a step back, startled. "Sorry."

"I didn't mean to scare you," she said pulling both her wings back tight. "Don't ever touch an Illyrian's wings. At least not without permission."

"Could I ever get permission?" he asked.

"Um, probably not. I mean, unless you're really, really close."

Lucien's eyes opened wide, getting the meaning behind her statement.

"So," he said, changing the subject, "what do you do for fun around here?"

"Me? I try to get in trouble." She grinned at him.

"Why?" Lucien asked shocked.

"To get sent off with my brother," she replied calmly.

"Doesn't your father beat you?" he asked her astonished.

Her eyes went wide, looking at Lucien. "No. He yells. He threatens to lock me in the house. I think he told me once he was going to tie me to a chair but he's never hit me."

"Oh," said Lucien quietly.

Myrrh glanced at the ground, understanding what her friend was telling her. She knew that some of the Lords had different expectations of their children and she also knew that her father was typically lenient with her and Rhys but she'd never met someone whose father seemed so vicious.

"We can go out to the orchard if you want," Myrrh offered.

Lucien shrugged.

"Come on," she said cheerfully, taking him by the hand. She pulled him out to where the apple trees were blooming and launched herself off the ground to pick a couple off the top of the tree. When she landed, Lucien was in awe.

"That's neat. Do you have magic or just the wings?" he asked.

"My magic isn't real strong. I can play with shadows and light though. I mean, in a fight it's not the best offense but it's an acceptable defense," she told him, quoting her brother.

Lucien smiled. "An acceptable defense?"

Myrrh shrugged and tossed him one of the apples. "What about you?"

"Like the rest of my family," he said.

Myrrh nodded. "Better in a fight."

Lucien laughed.

"So, do you want your father's throne some day?" she asked him.

"Nope," replied Lucien. "They can fight it out. Would you want it if you could have it?"

"I don't know. I don't think I'm cut out for ruling. My brother says I'm too flighty."

"What does that mean, exactly," asked Lucien though a bite of apple.

"I think he means that I don't focus on one thing for very long. Anything that I can't solve quickly tends to get pushed to the side and forgotten about. That wouldn't work well with people and their problems. Or a war."

"At least you won't be expected to fight in any wars," said Lucien darkly.

"I want too!" she said quickly. "I can fight. I'm fast. But I can't fight with the Illyrians and it's not like my father would let me fight with his army."

"You'd go fight?" he asked her curiously.

"Sure! This is my home," she said fiercely. "Nobody messes with my home. Or my friends." She added this as an afterthought.

"You must have a lot of friends," he said.

"Well, yes and no. I know a lot of people but real friends? Those are hard to come by."

Lucien nodded. He understood what she meant.

Myrrh looked at Lucien. She could feel a kinship. She trusted him although she couldn't really tell why.

"Lucien? Come on!" came a voice from the house.

"Oh, we must be leaving," he sighed.

Myrrh grinned. Well, I'll write you some letters and let you know what kind of trouble I get into next."

Lucien laughed. "Ok. And I'll write to tell you how awful it is having six older brothers."

She laughed back at him and the two walked back to the house in silence.


	3. Myrrh and Azriel

The three boys were laughing as they ran across the field to the small house. Normally they would have flown but today they were exhausted having spent the entire day doing flight drills. None of them wanted to use their wings if they didn't have too. They remembered that there was dinner waiting for them though and so they ran. They didn't make it to the door though. A small, slight girl raced out the door into the arms of the tallest of the three boys.

"Rhys!" she screeched.

Rhys laughed as he swept his sister up into his arms, hugging her, scooping her off the ground. His laugh filled the air as he spun her around.

"I missed you Myrrh!" he said, smiling. "I had no idea you were coming back with Mother!"

"It's better than that. Father says I can stay!" Her smile spread across her face.

Rhys grinned. "How did you manage that?"

"Oh, you know," she said innocently, "just by being me."

Rhys roared with laughter. He knew his father was completely unable to handle his sister on a day-to-day basis. She was far too much like their mother.

Myrrh glanced behind her brother. "Who are you?" she asked.

The taller of the two boys behind Rhys smiled at her. "She looks just like you Rhys."

"Yeah," said Rhys, "Hands off, Cass."

The boy chuckled. "Like I'd ever even consider it."

"Myrrh, this is Cassian," said Rhys indicating the taller boy. His hair was long and he was handsome but looked wild. Cassian grinned at Myrrh who glanced up at her brother curiously. She didn't say anything but Rhys chuckled.

"And this," Rhys continued, "is Azriel." The other boy was much quieter but he smiled at Myrrh. She suddenly felt shy, looking at him and felt her cheeks flush. She turned away, unsure of what that feeling was about.

Rhys noticed his sister's blush but decided not to say anything about it. Instead he pressed her more about her sudden departure from the court.

"So, come on, tell me, what did you really do to get sent off? Father must have been pretty mad."

She looked up at her brother with her green eyes full of laughter. "It was Lucien's idea though and nobody got hurt. Although, Lord Beron was awfully mad and I do feel bad about that. I can't imagine that Lucien got off lightly. He told me that a young lady shouldn't put men of high esteem into positions of difficulty."

"What did you do?" Rhys' voice was full of concern.

"I didn't hurt him. Honest. I just scared him a little." Her eyes told a very different story. She scared him a lot and it was funny.

"Who, exactly, is him?" asked Rhys.

"Eris."

"Ugh. Myrrh." Rhys looked at his sister with disapproval and she finally showed shame. Her brother was the only person that she truly cared about what they thought of her.

"He deserved it. If you'd have seen him leering at Calanmai, Rhys. It was awful," she said evenly.

Rhys frowned. He didn't like the idea of any male fae looking at his sister but Eris doing it was despicable. He really was not fond of any of Beron's sons, although Lucien seemed to be alright.

"Anyway," she went on, "it was just shadows."

At that, Azriel glanced up at her curiously. "Shadows?"

Myrrh looked back at him and nodded.

"What did you do, exactly?" he asked her.

"I can show you later. I can't really explain it though," she said. She felt that shyness creeping back into her as Azriel looked at her.

"Why were you at Calanmai, anyway. You're only fifteen," said Rhys.

At that, Myrrh rolled her eyes and flounced back into the house. Cassian laughed.

"She's exactly like you Rhys," he roared. "Exactly like you. Full of fire."

Rhys hit Cass as he walked by. "I mean it," he said quietly. "If I ever find out you've bedded my sister…" He didn't finish the sentence but he didn't have to.

Cassian nodded, his face serious. "I get it. Hands off."

Behind them, Azriel felt heat creeping into his cheeks. She was fifteen. He was only three years older than her. He shouldn't have felt those kinds of things about her but this feeling was hard to shake. Something about her intrigued him.

The boys went into the house and Rhys gave his mother a hug. She smiled warmly at the boys.

"I take it Myrrh has told you that she is no longer to be unchaperoned."

Rhys laughed. "Is that what it's called when you send a girl to a Illyrian camp?"

His mother shook her head. "He can't handle her. Cauldron knows I can't really handle her. At least she'll listen to you Rhysand."

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. His sister was wild. She reminded him of Cass in that way. Unfortunately for her, she was also a girl, which meant that their father held her to a different standard than Rhys.

Dinner was uneventful, with the boys explaining what kind of training they had done that day and comparing notes. Myrrh listened, wishing she could go with them. At this point she knew better than to ask but she still wished she could train to fight. The boys finished eating and went outside to goof around while Myrrh and her mother picked the plates up.

"Go outside. Spend some time with your brother," her mother told Myrrh. "Tomorrow you'll start schooling with me, here. I expect you to work hard and listen. But I know you've missed him."

Myrrh gave her mother a kiss on the cheek before heading out the door. She stepped out the door and was surprised to find Azriel sitting on the steps while Rhys and Cassian were sparing with one another. She sat down next to him. Almost immediately she felt the same odd sensation, like fire spread through her body. She shook her head.

Azriel turned and looked at her. "So, about those shadows?"

Myrrh glanced at him and found a shadow of a nearby tree. She pulled at it, willing it to get longer, shift in shape. She played with the darkness for a moment and then let it go.

"Huh," said Azriel. "I've never met anyone else who could do that."

Myrrh looked at him surprised. "You can change shadows like that?"

He nodded, letting the shadows around him expand a little. Myrrh gasped.

"That's neat. I can't do that."

"You probably can," Azriel told her. "You just need to practice."

She nodded. "I'll have to work on that."

The two locked eyes and both of them felt that strange sensation of being drawn to one another. Myrrh reached out her hand, almost without thinking about it and touched Azriel's hand. As soon as she did, he jumped up and ran off to the other two boys. And that quickly the feeling was gone. Myrrh shook her head again, trying to figure out what just happened. Without another word she went back in the house.


	4. First Kiss

The Blood Rites were over and Myrrh had never been so relieved in her life. All three of the men had come back. They were a little beat up but otherwise in one piece and that was all that mattered. Now as she got ready for Starfall she couldn't help but wonder what would happen now that he was back. She and Azriel had created a tentative peace while they he was at camp and she and her mother had been nearby. Rhys couldn't understand why they avoided each other. He had thought that she and Azriel were a lot alike. If he had any idea, she thought to herself. Her hair up, her dress on, she surveyed herself in the mirror. She closed her eyes for a moment, recalling the relief she had felt at seeing Azriel with Rhys and knowing they were both ok and then he had looked at her. They both knew what they felt, what was between them. Myrrh took a deep breath and went down stairs.

Rhys grinned, seeing her come down the stairs. She really looked lovely and he supposed sooner or later another male was bound to notice. So far he hadn't had to fend off any unwelcome suitors but the day was coming. He wasn't paying attention to the man next to him or might have realized that the day was today.

Azriel looked up as Myrrh got to the landing and his breath caught in his throat. She looked beautiful. Her dress had gems set in it, so it sparkled but the fabric was dark blue, almost black. Darkness and starlight. Rhys walked over to her and took her hand, smiling. As ridiculous as it was, Azriel was jealous. He would have died a thousand times over to take her hand. He would have loved to tell Rhys how he felt, that he was in love with Myrrh but Azriel knew that telling anyone that could land him in trouble with her father.

Through the night, Azriel watched her as she danced with Rhys, with Cassian and various other members of the court. Finally, he felt like enough people had danced with her that he could get away with asking her.

"Hi," he said quietly, coming up next to her.

She turned around and looked a little frightened. In truth, her heart had nearly stopped and now she felt like it was going to beat out of her chest.

"You're speaking to me? I thought you were going to avoid me forever."

"I'm sorry. If you want me to go, I will." Azriel turned to go.

Myrrh grabbed his hand. "No. Don't go. Please."

Azriel felt his heart skip a beat. Her plea for him to stay. He could feel the fire inside, the mating bond burning at him.

"I thought you might like to dance," he said to her.

She nodded and he took her other hand, pulling her towards him. He slid his arm around her waist, holding her other hand gently. Myrrh shivered. His scent was intoxicating and feeling him this close made her want to lose all sense and kiss him. Instead she closed her eyes, soaking everything in with her other senses so she could remember this moment.

Azriel watched her carefully. He could smell her, something like jasmine and lavender, every time he took a breath. He wanted to be alone with her. He wanted to tell her how he felt. He glanced around and saw that everyone was occupied. Rhys was flirting with a girl. Cassian was missing, likely already off with a girl. Myrrh's parents were on opposite side of the courtyard both talking with people.

Very carefully, Azriel moved her across the courtyard until they were more in shadow. Then he could hide them better.

"Would you come for a walk with me?" he asked her.

She opened her eyes, looking into his, and nodded.

With another quick glance to make sure nobody noticed, he started down the path that led to the orchard. She walked next to him and the air around them was thick with tension.

"Your father has told me that I am going to be here with him," he told her.

"Here?" she asked, "As in, Velaris, at court?"

Azriel nodded.

Myrrh felt the hair on her neck stand up. She didn't know how she could stand to have so close all the time.

"You look beautiful," Azriel whispered to her.

"Thank you."

Suddenly, she reached over and hugged him, her arms wrapping around his neck. He slipped his arms around her, feeling her close to him.

"I was worried the whole time you were gone," she told him.

"You shouldn't have been. I can take care of myself."

She found herself looking into his hazel eyes again. He was holding her hands in his. He was so close. Up above, the stars began their show but neither one noticed. They seemed to be getting closer, as if pulled by a magnet. Now he was so close, she could she the flecks of green and brown in his irises.

He felt her eyelashes brush his cheek as she closed her eyes. Gently, he lifted her chin and felt his lips meet hers.

If either of them had questioned their mating bond before, that moment made it clear. The gentle kiss caused fireworks to go off and both of them to lose any sense of reason. Azriel slipped his arms around her waist again, pulling her close to him, feeling the desire for her in his soul. She wrapped her arms around his neck and one of her hands tangled into his hair. She thought her heart might stop, it was beating so hard.

The gentle, shy kiss deepened as Azriel pulled her closer, fitting her body to his. Any second, he thought, he was going to burst into flames and be consumed by her.

"Myrrh?" came Rhys' voice.

Abruptly, Azriel stepped back, his hands behind his back, trying to look uninterested.

"I'm over here," she yelled back.

The scent of their bond was in the air and there was no way to hide it. Myrrh glanced over at Azriel and he looked up toward the sky.

"There you are. You vanished. I was a little worried." Rhys looked at Azriel suspiciously. "What are you two doing?"

"I wanted to go for a walk and get some fresh air. Azriel offered to walk with me, to keep me safe," Myrrh explained.

Azriel tried to look like this story wasn't new to him.

"Huh. Ok," said Rhys casually. "What's the smell?"

"What smell?" asked Myrrh.

Rhys eyed his sister carefully. She had her shields up so her couldn't really tell what she was thinking although if he really wanted to, he could push his way in. Azriel was his friend though and he wasn't the type you had to worry about around your sister. He brushed away the inkling in his mind that said Myrrh wasn't telling him something. He threw his arm around his sister's shoulders.

"Come on, let's go see the stars from the roof."

Myrrh glanced behind her at Azriel. "Coming?" she asked.

"In a minute," he replied.

He watched Rhys and Myrrh walk away, listening to them chat with each other. He ran his hands through his hair, recalling the feeling of her hands there. He could still feel her kiss burning on his lips. After a few minutes, he walked slowly back towards the party. He'd meet them on the roof and sit in the background, watching her goof around with her brother. He would laugh too. From now on, every moment would be spent watching her, keeping her safe. And perhaps soon, another kiss.


	5. Bonded

Lucien ducked down the side hall, making sure to be not so obvious but also making sure that several servants saw him go. He hurried up the stairs to the library and slipped inside shutting the door behind him. He glanced around the room and spotted her.

"Thank the Mother," he gasped. "Twice I almost ran into your father."

"Gee, Lucien. Didn't you go the way I told you too?" she asked him nervously.

"Yes. I think he's onto this route. We'll have to figure out a new one."

Lucien sat down in the chair next to him and sighed. Myrrh swept across the room and gave him a hug.

"You know I appreciate this, more than I can tell you."

"Yeah, yeah," he grinned at her. "Just don't get caught. I don't want to know what your father would do to me if he found out I was aiding and abetting his daughter instead of just courting her."

Myrrh giggled.

"So where should I tell anyone looking for you that you've gone?"

"Tell them I've gone to my room for a few moments." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Remember to look innocent."

"Well, since I am, that shouldn't be a problem. When will you be back?" Lucien glanced at the clock in the corner.

"Give me a couple hours?" she asked him.

He nodded. He could stall anybody for a little while and generally nobody bothered him. Even her father, who tried to act like it bothered him, let the two of them be alone for a couple of hours.

Myrrh darted across the room to the balcony and looked around. The setting sun cast long shadows that she could use to her advantage. She hopped off the balcony and let her wings glide her to the ground. She checked around her again. Nobody was around. She thought carefully for a moment and stepped into darkness coming out a breath later in front of a cabin in the mountains. She smiled.

She ran to the front door and slipped inside and was greeted with a hug. She squealed with surprise.

"Az! You scared me!"

He laughed at her. "Who else would be here? And why would I have grabbed them if someone else was here?"

He released her from the hug and gently kissed her. The one thing he longed to do when he watched her at court but could not do. He could touch her, he could speak to her, he could walk her various places. Of course, he had to make sure that everything he said and did was appropriate but kissing her was out of the question. If anybody saw them, the High Lord would be furious with him. And probably send his daughter off. But here, alone, he could kiss her as much as he wanted.

Myrrh sank into his kiss, relishing every minute of it. She tangled her hands into his hair, enjoyed his hands roaming across her body.

Finally, they paused. "How long did Lucien give us?" asked Az.

"A couple hours," she told him.

"Good." Az pulled Myrrh onto the couch with him and she curled up next to him with her head on his shoulder. He reached over and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "I have a question for you," he said carefully.

Myrrh looked at him curiously. He sounded serious and she couldn't imagine what he needed to know that badly.

"I talked to a priestess near the training camp," he continued. "She says that she can do the Illyrian bonding ceremony."

Myrrh's eyes went wide. They had talked about it and Az had said he'd see if he could find someone to do it. Her heartbeat quickened as she thought about what he was asking her. He wanted her to be with him always, to make a promise that he would protect her.

"Let's do it," Myrrh said, her head feeling a little light.

"Are you sure?" he asked her.

She nodded. She pulled herself into his lap and kissed him again. "Completely. Can she do it now?"

"We'll find out," he replied. The two held hands as Az winnowed them to a quiet area of the forest near the training camp he had once lived at. It was dark here and the woods were dense. Slowly, Az moved through the trees and suddenly a small cottage came into view. He knocked on the door and waited.

And older woman opened the door and smiled. "So you have come."

Az nodded. "This is my mate, Myrrh."

"Yes," said the older woman, "I smell the bond. She is not completely Illyrian though?"

"No," Myrrh said. "I'm half." She was suddenly afraid the older woman might refuse, say she had to be fully Illyrian.

"It's fine dear," the older woman said answering the question Myrrh hadn't asked.

The pair stepped into the cottage. It was warm and cozy with only two rooms. She motioned for them to come into the other room. There were three pillows here and lots of candles lighting the room. She indicated that they should kneel.

Az walked over and knelt on one pillow and smiled as Myrrh settled herself across from him.

"You are both here of your own free will and wish to be bonded?" the old lady asked.

"Yes," they answered together. Az smiled at her and Myrrh found herself blushing.

"Very well. Please join your left hands." She arranged their grip until it was the way she wanted with each of the holding the other's wrist.

"Repeat after me: You are my mate, my one love. I promise to protect you, be faithful to you and to love no other until we are separated by death."

They repeated her words, staring into each other's eyes. Both of them felt the gravity of this promise and meant every word they spoke.

The woman turned to Myrrh. "You are of the Night Court?"

Myrrh nodded.

"Then you are marked. Your word is your bond and much like other bonds, it creates a link between you. This bond is different from others, however. This bond links your hearts. Know that it is strong, powerful and very little can disturb it."

As she spoke, the air in the room seemed to shift, as if there was a presence in the room besides the three of them.

"You are both shadowsingers. Interesting. I'm sure the Cauldron has an interesting path for you both." She nodded at them. "It is done. This promise is a bond. Remember that."

"Thank you," whispered Azriel. He helped Myrrh get to her feet and walked to the door. The old woman smiled at them. "May the Cauldron protect you both." Then she closed the door.

"What did she mean by marked?" she asked Az.

He flipped his arm over and saw it. A small infinity loop on his wrist almost obscured by other marks that had been given to him. Myrrh looked at her arm and saw the same mark. Hers was more obvious but it blended almost seamlessly into another mark with a moon and three stars above it.

Az ran his hand over her wrist and smiled at her. He pulled her close to him and kissed her, then looked into her eyes and whispered, "Mine."

Myrrh looked into his eyes and smiled. "Always."


End file.
